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Brexit: MPs asked to vote on withdrawal agreement only

March 29, 2019 5:11 am

MPs will be asked to vote again on Brexit on Friday but only on part of the deal negotiated with the EU.

They will vote on the withdrawal agreement on the Irish “backstop”, divorce bill and citizens’ rights.

But it will not amount to a third “meaningful vote” on the deal, as it will not include a vote on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

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Amid anger from MPs, Andrea Leadsom said it was “crucial” if the UK wanted to secure a Brexit delay until 22 May.

MPs will be debating the motion on the day the UK was supposed to leave the European Union – 29 March.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Theresa May was essentially asking MPs to turn it into a game of two halves – just voting on the first part of the deal which sorts out the UK’s departure and leaving the longer term part for the next few weeks.

But it is still not certain it will get through – both Labour and the Democratic Unionist Party say they will vote against the withdrawal agreement on Friday.

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said the withdrawal agreement could not be separated from the political declaration “because otherwise you move into a blindfold Brexit”.

The PM’s deal includes a withdrawal agreement – setting out how much money the UK must pay to the EU as a settlement, details of the transition period, and the backstop arrangements – and a political declaration on the way the future EU-UK relationship will work.

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